In the 1990s Bryn Mawr Avenue (from Sheridan to Broadway) was designated a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places. In this condensed town center you’ll find plenty of eye-popping architectural homes wedged between restaurants, bakeries and small-scale markets. Bryn Mawr Avenue is so charming and inviting that it’s easy to spend the entire day just taking in the lost era atmosphere. Bryn Mawr may have landmark status, but it’s not the only block in this Chicago neighborhood to attract attention for sheer beauty and natural appeal.

But before exploring the rest of the Lakewood-Balmoral neighborhood, take a morning stroll down Bryn Mawr and grab a cup of coffee at Flourish Bakery Café. This retro pastry shop has everything from sweet red velvet cakes to savory ham and cheese breakfast croissants. From there you can check out the neighborhood’s first playlot, constructed in 1971. This lot known as Bromann Park is a delight to the community with its kid-friendly, soft surface play area and complete set of climbing equipment, including slides and swings.

Just south of Bryn Mawr is Coffee Chicago where you’ll find plenty of students and young professionals on laptops. In addition to freshly roasted coffee and decadent pastries, the shop offers free WiFi and an outdoor patio. The café even provides entertainment on Friday nights with an open mic, starting at 8 p.m.

Staying true to history, many of the homes in Lakewood-Balmoral appear just as they did in the early 1900s with old-fashioned lamp posts lining the subdued streets. Lakewood-Balmoral’s residential blocks are made up of single-family condos, vintage homes and courtyard apartment buildings. Over the years, more and more people began to realize the impeccable charm of this historic Chicago neighborhood and as a result, real estate prices have seen a steady increase. A one bedroom in Lakewood-Balmoral runs around $200,000 and the average price for a detached single-family home (with two or three bedrooms) averages in the low $700,000s. These prices aren’t out of character for the north side of Chicago, but if you’ve got your eye on one of those vintage gems, prepare to pay over $1 million.